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Why I Did Not Revert to Islam
I often see born Muslims, in the West, referring people who converted to Islam as “reverts”. I call myself a revert to born Muslims and other converted Muslims because of other Muslims telling me “everyone is born Muslim”. So in theory, I am reverting back to what I was born as. I want to state as to why I feel that I am a convert to Islam versus being a “revert”. I usually say I am a “revert only because I want to avoid a debate.
Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) told us in more than one hadith that each child is born Muslim and with Fitrah (human nature). Everyone’s human nature contains values of Islam, which are believing in one God, etc. The parents are the ones who choose to make the child a Jew, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Muslim, etc.
No other religion or their followers refer to their converts as reverts. Muslims are the only ones to do so. I say Muslims, not Islam. I can’t find anything within Islam, that being the Quran or hadiths, that says to call a person, who chooses to be Muslim, “a revert”. I can’t find it because it is not there. There is nowhere that says that anyone who chooses to become a Muslim, is, or should be called a revert. There is no word in Arabic that is equivalent to the term “revert”.
Whether it’s convert or revert, kindly call converts what they want to be called. I would rather call myself a convert because I feel I am a convert. When you revert, you are returning to something you used to previously do or practice. I never practiced Islam before I became Muslim. I practiced Christianity. If I was a born Muslim that practiced Islam as a child but quit practicing. Then later in life I started revisiting and practicing the faith I was given from my parents, I would be a revert to Islam. If I would leave Islam to be a Christian, God forbid, I would be reverting to Christianity because that is what I used to practice. I feel when you revert to something, that is something you used to do and practice. I have never practiced Islam before. So how could I revert back to it?
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2 responses to “Why I Did Not Revert to Islam”
I feel the exact same way!!!
@Sister Kaya . wonderfully said.Infact i would like to go a step, ahead and say why even use these two terms.The reason behind this is that, all companions of Prophet Muhmmad (pbuh) were converts or reverts (whatever term you like to use ) and they went on to become the greatest strength that this religion has.Besides i think the term revert is often misunderstood.Every religion on earth has two main aspects 1) The word of God which is often represented by the holy scriptures 2) The practice of religion which is esoteric side also called spirituality .In Islam its called Ihsan.People who are born muslims have to, at some point in their lives make a decision to live a religious life or not .They also undergo periods of dark and sinister struggles within themselves regarding their faith.And when they choose it….hence the conversion.Conversion from the dark world to the world of one pointed struggle(yes, the light is still at the end of the tunnel).Becoming muslim doesnt mean you have done it. No, it only opens the pandoras box of challenges. Once a muslim practices his religion and struggles in it ,he reaches to the point of Ihsan .Ihsan brings him closer to the reality.And he reaches back to his initial state of fitrah .Hence the term reversion.And ALLAH knows best.I hope it helps.